THE TENNESSEE VALLEY– Feeding the homeless and those in need has been an ongoing mission for the Manna House—a non-profit serving the Huntsville, Alabama, community since 2004. Through a partnership with TVA, the Manna House now harvests 5,250 heads of fresh lettuce each week to help provide for the basic needs of approximately 3,000-5,000 families a week on average.
“It’s expensive to buy that much lettuce, so we decided there had to be a better way to have a more consistent supply at an affordable price,” Manna House Director Fran Fluhler said.
The TVA team visited the Manna Houses’ Fields of Green last week in Lacey’s Spring Alabama. They helped plant 1,500 heads of lettuce, that will help feed 70-90 families in the Huntsville area twice a month!
Manna House donates 10 percent of their lettuce harvest to other ministries and non-profits each month. From what is left, they sell about half to local caterers and restaurants. Proceeds from the lettuce sales are used to buy shelf-stable groceries and other basic 
necessities, which supplement the fresh salads they provide for those in need. Because of the Fields of Green Hydroponic Garden’s lettuce sales, Manna House is able to buy and distribute about 28-30 pallets of groceries each day to families who wait in line for up to three hours to be served.
“TVA’s partnership has been such a blessing. I loved the fact that they cared enough to come back and walk through the garden,” Fluhler said. “Some of their employees even came down and volunteered at the Manna House.”
For more about Manna House, click here.
Media Release/TVAServes
